Cleansers -Neutrogena - Oil-Free Acne Wash
akmcarpenoctem 7/22/2012 2:18:00 PM
Bought this a couple years back due to the rave reviews in Allure magazine. Pros: - Smells ok...sort of like citrus - Lathers very well - Helps get rid of acne (after several uses), but in combination with other products. Cons: - Drying, especially if used more than once a day. - Is not a miracle acne product...works the same as any other salicylic acid product So basically, it was a so-so product. I use it once a week, or if I'm having an awful breakout, but no more than that. I rotate it with my Aveeno cleanser. I prefer using this on my body more than my face. Using this product did NOT cause any breakouts or other skin irritations for me (although other Neutrogena products have). Will repurchase, just in case of breakouts. EDIT: Boyfriend enjoys the cream-cleanser version of this product. Has helped his acne considerably.
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Gels/Soaps -Dove - Cream Oil Bodywash - Rosewood and Cocoa Butter
akmcarpenoctem 7/22/2012 2:11:00 PM
This is the second Dove body-wash I've used. I used the one for dry/winter skin for the longest time and then switched to this one. Pros: - Smells AMAZING. Like roses. :) - Feels silky as it glides on skin - Cleanses really well. - Somewhat moisturizing. - Good price for the amount. Cons: - Still have to use lotion after using this body wash ... only on my legs though (they're super dry all the time). Would definitely recommend/repurchase.
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Lotions/ Creams -Unlisted Brand - Dial NutriSkin Replenishing Hand & Body Lotion Extra Dry
akmcarpenoctem 6/1/2012 2:48:00 PM
Found this in my MIL's bathroom when I had dry hands. Since I work in a kitchen, and do dishes on occasion, my hands get horrible very quickly. They feel scaly and dry and they're red and chapped. I tried this once and absolutely loved how silky it made my hands feel! It's super hydrating too....by far the best hand lotion I have ever bought. It also has a pleasant smell, but it doesn't stink up a room like Bath & Body Works. Bought some for myself! Will repurchase!
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Eyeliner -Cover Girl - Perfect Point Plus Eyeliners
akmcarpenoctem 6/1/2012 2:44:00 PM
I have tried several different brands of eyeliner. This one glides on very smoothly and is self-sharpening, which is a plus. This is the very first eyeliner I ever used and I keep going back to it. Yes, it does smudge. But I have very oily eyelids and tend to rub my eyes a lot. Seems to smudge a lot less when applying a little eyeshadow over it to "set" it. I have brown hair and eyes, but have very "soft" coloring. Black has always been too intense for me, so I used to get gray. However, I like the dark brown a lot better...perfect for me. I bought a really light brown one once....awful, just awful. I think this would work on blondes who want an understated eye....but for most girls, this will just smudge and give you zombie eyes by magnifying your under-eye circles. Avoid light brown. Will repurchase .... like this a lot better than the liquid & gel liners I've tried.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Toners -L'Oreal - Hydrafresh Toner
akmcarpenoctem 6/1/2012 2:37:00 PM
My mom has used this for years, and when I started getting acne as a teen, my mom recommended using this product. Throughout my teenage years, I would switch toners just to see if there was anything better out there. Compared to this product, everything else seemed....more drying, and less refreshing. 10 years later and I'm back to this product. I love the smell, I love how refreshed and soft my face feels after using it, and I love that my skin doesn't feel tight after I use it. Also gets off make-up reasonably well, and picks up residue left over from cleansing. Not only that...but it is very reasonably priced. Will always repurchase.
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Primer/ Corrector -E.L.F. - Mineral Infused Face Primer
akmcarpenoctem 6/1/2012 2:30:00 PM
So, I've tried two different primers before this (Rimmel Fix & Perfect and Olay/Covergirl). Both of those seemed to work OK but not exceptionally. I decided to give this product a try. It didn't break me out at all and felt super silky, but not heavy. It seemed to fare slightly better than the other two primers in terms of staying power -- my makeup did seem to stay on longer. I work in a kitchen....and even with all the grease/moisture in the air, my makeup didn't seem to budge all that much. It faded a bit but not horribly. The only problem I have with this primer is that the pump does NOT work. It will not come out! I even tried cutting the tip of the tube off...didn't help. I physically have to unscrew the cap to get to the primer. Not a huge deal but a little annoying. This is just a bad packaging design by E.L.F.....I would have preferred a squeeze tube or at least a pump that isn't a pain in the butt. I would definitely repurchase this, despite the crap pump!
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Eye Primer -E.L.F. - Mineral Eyeshadow Primer
akmcarpenoctem 6/1/2012 2:25:00 PM
Ok, so I bought this eyelid primer because I have the oiliest eyelids in the history of woman. I never used an eyelid primer before and since this got such great reviews, I bought it because it was so cheap and I usually love e.l.f. products. My list of pros & cons: Pros - * It is very sheer AND makes eyelids brighter. * Seems tacky-feeling...which is a pro to me because this means that eye makeup will stick to it. * Easy to apply Cons - * Didn't really seem to help with staying power. However, I usually only wear eyeliner on my eyelids....not eyeshadow. I'm sure eyeshadow might stay in place but a word of warning: my eyeliner did not. I tried using liquid liner, gel liner, and pencil liner. Gel liner still got all up in my crease, liquid liner still peeled off, and the pencil liner didn't fare very well either. Maybe I need to update my liners (or spend more $$ on them), but as of right now, I rate this product as a three. Seems like it could work -- and it does a little -- it just isn't as fantastic and amazing as I thought it would be. I will use it more and update if anything changes, but as of right now I would not repurchase.
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Tinted Moisturizer -Aveeno - positively radiant
akmcarpenoctem 6/1/2012 2:12:00 PM
My mom bought this, and since I love Aveeno products, I decided to try it (I was going to the beach and wanted a little coverage, but didn't want to deck out my face in full makeup). I loved it! I bought my own and had to make sure that it wouldn't go on too thick or give me cake-face if I put some mineral makeup over it. It doesn't! It looks very natural. Quick list of pros & cons: Pros - * Excellent coverage - I only needed a little bit of concealer for my under-eye circles. * Time-saver * Looks very natural - no cake-face or make-up line here. * Goes on smoothly (I used my fingers) Cons - * strong smell at first but wears off eventually * a little pricey at $15 ... but should last a long time Will definitely, definitely buy again! No more foundation for me....just this product, a little concealor, and little bit of mineral make-up. :)
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Scrubs -St. Ives - Apricot Scrub
akmcarpenoctem 5/22/2012 2:59:00 PM
I used this in high school for the longest time. I loved it because it made my skin feel sooo smooth. And it did. It felt like I was just scrubbing away impurities. HOWEVER, after awhile, I started noticing that I was getting these tiny flesh-colored bumps all over my face. At first I thought it was just the summer weather, but no, it continued into winter. I started to believe I had "milia". I was freaking out because I never really had a ton of trouble with acne, and my face was all bumpy! I finally figured out it was this scrub. It's such a harsh scrub and the granules are HUGE. Combine that with the way I was vigorously scrubbing my face. I quit using this scrub all together. A few months later, my skin was smooth and wonderful again. This would be a wonderful scrub for your body, such as elbows and knees. But do try a micro-exfoliator for your face (such as Aveeno's Skin Brightening Scrub). A word about acne: If you don't have blackheads, your face isn't "dirty". You don't need to scrub really hard. Even if you don't think you are scrubbing hard, make sure your fingers are barely, lightly touching your face. A lot of the acne problems I was experiencing were cleared up by gentling the touch I was using on my face. Sounds simple and kind of a "duh" thing...but this is just a friendly warning to others!
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Moisturizers -Simple - Kind to Skin Vital Vitamin Night Cream
akmcarpenoctem 5/22/2012 2:42:00 PM
I LOVE this night cream! This is the first night cream I've ever bought, and to be honest, I only bought it because it was one of the cheapest night creams I could find at Walmart. I would have preferred an Aveeno night cream, but I figured I would try this instead. I like it a lot...it has a pleasant smell, and it is very hydrating. It makes my skin soooo soft. My skin has looked a lot clearer/smoother/softer since I started using it. The only downsides to this cream are that it leaves your skin looking oily. I only say this because I work second shift, and I see my boyfriend after work. I usually don't put on makeup that late at night, so I do my nighttime skin routine then, right after my shower. I'm sure it wouldn't matter for someone who puts this on, and then goes right to bed. In addition, I don't really like that it comes in a plastic jar. It's very hard to use the "right" amount. I would prefer a squeeze tube or a pump, frankly. Despite those two things, I will keep buying this product. You can't beat the price, and it does what it's supposed to do.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Makeup Remover -Equate - Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover
akmcarpenoctem 5/22/2012 2:30:00 PM
I bought this awhile back because I thought, "Hey, it's just eye make up remover. I just need something a little extra for that stubborn mascara/eye liner that isn't swept away by my toner". Nope. It worked OK at getting some of the mascara off (I use Lash Blast Volume...the non-waterproof one), but by no means did it take all of it off. I would still have mascara flaking off the next day! I would wake up with dark smudges under my eye from mascara residue. This did not work for me at all, and it wasn't even soothing. Pay the extra couple bucks and get a different eye make up remover, because this is not worth it.
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Mascara -Cover Girl - Lash Blast Volume
akmcarpenoctem 5/22/2012 2:25:00 PM
This has been my go-to mascara for about 5 years now. I'm a bit of a mascara junkie ... i will absolutely not leave the house without mascara. I tried dozens of mascaras...included the touted Maybelline Great Lash. Didn't like them at all...seemed to do nothing for my naturally long, but very sparse lashes (I am also gifted with tiny eyes). I gave this a try one day and fell in love. It made my lashes look fantastic. Believe me, though -- USE AN EYELASH CURLER. It makes a HUGE difference. This mascara looks 10x better when you use an eyelash curler first, although it still looks great when you skip the curler too. I have tried the Lash Blast length mascara, as well as the length + volume mascara. I still always go back to this one -- it seems to work the best. Also, avoid getting the waterproof formula....my non-waterproof one stays all day anyway and is less of a pain to get off later.
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Primer/ Corrector -Rimmel - Fix and Perfect Foundation Primer
akmcarpenoctem 5/22/2012 2:19:00 PM
I bought this primer because I read really good things about it. I picked up this product (Rimmel Fix and Perfect 002) at Walgreens for $11.99. I have skin that tends toward oily, and as I work in a kitchen, it's very important for my make-up to stay put. This primer didn't do it for me. I tends to hold make-up for awhile, but by the 3rd or 4th hour, my makeup starts to wear off. I was really not impressed. I will use up this tube but will be looking elsewhere. It wasn't horrible...it just didn't really work for me, either.
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Concealers -L'Oreal - True Match Super-Blendable Concealer
akmcarpenoctem 5/22/2012 1:57:00 PM
I am really lazy when it comes to concealers...I want one concealer to cover up my dark circles, acne, and any discoloration on my face. Some people have a few different concealers... i.e. one for acne, one for undereye circles. I am not that person. I tried this concealer because it was one of the first in the drugstore to break up makeup based on skin tone...i.e. warm, cool, neutral. I gave it a try and I LOVE it. It covered up discoloration really well. It covers up my dark circles well, too...but as long as I pat it in and don't rub it in. It covers acne decently as well. The tone matches my skin perfectly, too....FINALLY. I have very pale skin but it has this weird yellow tint to it....so I'm warm and pale, if that makes sense. I definitely recommend this if you're looking for a reasonably-priced concealer.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Conditioner -Organix - Moroccan Argan Oil Renewing Treatment
akmcarpenoctem 5/7/2012 12:02:00 AM
I was NOT impressed by this product. I heard a ton of good things about Moroccan Argan Oil and so I decided to give this product a try (since I love Organix's cherry shine spray). I was extremely disappointed. This didn't moisturize at all, and my hair didn't even detangle a little. In order to get it to slightly detangle my hair, I had to slather on a bunch of the stuff. The scent was pretty, but it didn't work for me. My hair is moderately damaged, though. Maybe it would work better on undamaged hair. Will stick with my Aussie 3-Minute Miracle treatment.
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